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Is ballast required/help for wakeboarding ?

jmargo

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The Kids are complaining about the wake. I see a lot about setting up for surfing but only a few about wakeboarding. I pull then around 18-22 MPH with 70ft of rope. Have the Cobra Jet fins installed. Would a bag in the ski locker and a transom bag in the center help things out ?
 

Cobra Jet Steering LLC

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Yes ballast will cerate a wake
 

marcham

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How old are they?

You might try shortening the rope a bit and keep it at 20mph or less. Play around with weight to make the weight crest a little sharper.
 

jmargo

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How old are they?

You might try shortening the rope a bit and keep it at 20mph or less. Play around with weight to make the weight crest a little sharper.
13 and 17.
The 70 feet is at the tower. So they are probably 60 from the transom. I have no ballast at the moment.
 

J-RAD

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Adding ballast will definitely improve the wake size. On my '16 AR240 I run 500lbs under each rear seat and ~7-800lbs in the ski locker the single 850 transom bag will be equally effective centered on the rear. It will take up real estate on the swim deck it that is nice to have while putting the board on. You do want to keep the boat weighted more tail heavy.

The nice thing is, you can fill the ski locker bag and shift the transom bag to the side for a great surf setup.

As was previously mentioned above, shortening the rope will make difference in thethr ability to clear the wake. I run a 70' 4 section rope and run it on just the single long section. I think it makes it 55-60' and puts me just beyond the jet wash.
20200724_181807_1.gif

YouTube is a great resource for some basic coaching. I particularly like Shawn Murray's instructional videos.
 

jmargo

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Adding ballast will definitely improve the wake size. On my '16 AR240 I run 500lbs under each rear seat and ~7-800lbs in the ski locker the single 850 transom bag will be equally effective centered on the rear. It will take up real estate on the swim deck it that is nice to have while putting the board on. You do want to keep the boat weighted more tail heavy.

The nice thing is, you can fill the ski locker bag and shift the transom bag to the side for a great surf setup.

As was previously mentioned above, shortening the rope will make difference in thethr ability to clear the wake. I run a 70' 4 section rope and run it on just the single long section. I think it makes it 55-60' and puts me just beyond the jet wash.
Thanks. I will look into that.
 
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